Photo:Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
It’s time to head back to Serenity, South Carolina, for season 3 of the hitNetflixseriesSweet Magnolias.
In June 2023, the streaming servicereleased its trailer for season 3. It featured Maddie — whose husband left her for his mistress — teasing, “New challenges and new relationships are good for the soul.”
The trailer also showed Dana Sue attempting to move forward with her formerly estranged husband, Helen struggling with indecision between two great men and Maddie treading carefully in her relationship with her son’s baseball coach, Cal (Justin Bruening).
From their previous roles to their lives outside of Serenity, here’s everything to know about the cast ofSweet Magnolias.
JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Maddie Townsend
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JoAnna Garcia Swisher, 43, plays the show’s protagonist, Maddie Townsend, a recent divorcée and single mother to three children. She runs the Corner Spa with her best friends, Helen and Dana Sue.
“I think Ilove being a part of a show about womenthat absolutely wholeheartedly support each other,” she previously told PEOPLE. “They don’t always agree, but they are each other’s biggest advocate and they’re never alone in life because they have each other. And that’s a really beautiful testament to what friendship can be.”
She also has experience on the big screen, and her list of credits includesAmerican Pie 2(2001),Revenge of the Bridesmaids(2010),The Internship(2013) andAs Luck Would Have It(2021).
Most recently, Garcia Swisher hosted the Netflix seriesThe Ultimatum: Queer Love(2023), which follows couples made up of women and non-binary people who are at a crossroads in their relationship (one partner is ready to settle down and get married while the other isn’t).
As for her personal life, she and her husband, former MLB player Nick Swisher,share two daughters: Emerson and Sailor.
Brooke Elliott as Dana Sue Sullivan
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Brooke Elliott, 48, plays single mother Dana Sue Sullivan, co-owner of the Corner Spa and owner of Sullivan’s Restaurant.
The Minnesota native gained widespread recognition for her role as Jane Bingum — a shy lawyer who was accidentally killed but came back to life as a model — on Lifetime’sDrop Dead Diva(2009-2014).
Heather Headley as Helen Decatur
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Heather Headley, 48, plays the role of Helen Decatur, a no-nonsense lawyer and aunt extraordinaire to Maddie and Dana Sue’s children. Additionally, she co-owns the Corner Spa.
Headley’s career started when she was only 2 years old, singing in a children’s talent show on the radio in her home country, Trinidad. She loved performing from a young age and sang in her church choir for most of her childhood. Upon graduating from high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, she enrolled at Northwestern University to study communications and musical theater.
As a junior, she caught the eye of casting agents and dropped out of school to join the cast ofRagtime(1996) in Toronto. Just six months after ending her university studies, Disney offered Headley the opportunity to play Nala in the Broadway production ofThe Lion King(1997). She starred in another Disney musical,Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida, playing the title role and earning a Tony Award. She continued her Broadway career with performances inThe Bodyguard(2012) andThe Color Purple(2016).
Outside of work, she is married to former New York Jets player Brian Musso, and they have three children.
Chris Klein as Dr. Bill Townsend
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Chris Klein, 44, plays Dr. Bill Townsend, a pediatrician and Maddie’s ex-husband.
Director Alexander Payne discovered Klein at his high school in Omaha, Nebraska. Payne, an Omaha native, was scouting Millard West High School as a potential location to shoot the 1999 filmElection.
The school principal introduced Payne to Klein, who was a senior and resident actor at the time, having played Tony in the school’s production ofWest Side Story. Payne encouraged Klein to audition for his upcoming film, leading to Klein’s first role in a feature film, starring oppositeReese Witherspoon.
He ismarried to Laina Rose Thyfaultand has two children: sonFrederick Eastonand daughterIsla Rose.
Carson Rowland as Tyler TownsendCourtesy of Netflix ; Gilbert Flores/Variety/Penske Media/GettyCarson Rowland, 25, portrays Tyler Townsend, Maddie and Bill’s oldest son and a star baseball player.Rowland toldPureWowthat he relates to his character, who is navigating his family’s new dynamic after his parents' divorce.“Ty, underneath, is one of the sweetest individuals. However, with his family in shambles and baseball heading down a similar road, he genuinely doesn’t know how to process everything,” he said. “I feel like so many people, including myself, can relate to that. I push issues and stressors to the forefront of my mind and sometimes let that control me. But if I would just take a step back and decompress, things would definitely turn out better.”Hailing from Boca Raton, Florida, he got his start playing Cole Reyes on the Nickelodeon seriesI Am Frankie(2017-2018). Some of his most notable projects includeSinister Seduction(2019),American Housewife(2020),Ghost Tape(2020),Sweet Magnolias(2020) andPretty Little Liars: Original Sin(2022).He married Maris Rowland (née Kenny) in October 2021, and the couple areexpecting their first childtogether.
Carson Rowland as Tyler Townsend
Courtesy of Netflix ; Gilbert Flores/Variety/Penske Media/Getty
Carson Rowland, 25, portrays Tyler Townsend, Maddie and Bill’s oldest son and a star baseball player.
Rowland toldPureWowthat he relates to his character, who is navigating his family’s new dynamic after his parents' divorce.
“Ty, underneath, is one of the sweetest individuals. However, with his family in shambles and baseball heading down a similar road, he genuinely doesn’t know how to process everything,” he said. “I feel like so many people, including myself, can relate to that. I push issues and stressors to the forefront of my mind and sometimes let that control me. But if I would just take a step back and decompress, things would definitely turn out better.”
Hailing from Boca Raton, Florida, he got his start playing Cole Reyes on the Nickelodeon seriesI Am Frankie(2017-2018). Some of his most notable projects includeSinister Seduction(2019),American Housewife(2020),Ghost Tape(2020),Sweet Magnolias(2020) andPretty Little Liars: Original Sin(2022).
He married Maris Rowland (née Kenny) in October 2021, and the couple areexpecting their first childtogether.
Justin Bruening as Cal Maddox
Justin Bruening, 43, plays Cal Maddox, Tyler’s baseball coach and Maddie’s love interest on the show.
“My character just is sort ofdealing with the aftermath of what he didlast year and how that ended — that whole punching someone thing,” Bruening told PEOPLE in November 2022, ahead of the third season.
He pursued acting and landed the role of Jamie Martin on the daytime soap opera,All My Children. He also had recurring roles onRinger(2012),Switched at Birth(2012-2013) andGrey’s Anatomy(2013-2018), in addition to starring as Michael Knight’s son in NBC’s 2008 remake ofKnight Rider.
He is married to actress Alexa Havins, whom he proposed to on set when they costarred inAll My Children, and they have three kids.
Logan Allen as Kyle Townsend
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Logan Allen,19, plays Maddie and Bill’s youngest son, Kyle Townsend. Kyle is passionate about musicals, making it difficult to bond with his sports-loving father and brother.
Raised in Central Florida, Allen grew up wanting to be an actor. He starred in commercials for TruMoo, Universal Orlando and Volcano Bay as a child and played the role of Vinnie as a series regular on the Nickelodeon showTalia in the Kitchen(2015). He portrayed Kevin Ryan in the filmBernie the Dolphin(2018) and played the supporting role of Jake in the fourth season ofStranger Things(2022).
He joined the cast ofSweet Magnoliaswhile still in high school, tellingLivingston County Newsin 2022, “I can see the finish line!” regarding his graduation.
Anneliese Judge as Annie Sullivan
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Anneliese Judge, 21, plays Annie Sullivan, Dana Sue’s daughter and school photographer.
“We get to follow some of her struggles throughout the season as there’s quite a few, and she learns some hard lessons along the way,” she toldABC11of her character in 2020.
Hailing from Pinehurst, North Carolina, Judge credited her hometown acting studio with her newfound success.
“I trained with all of them, and I owe everything I’ve learned from them,” she said.
Jamie Lynn Spears as Noreen Fitzgibbons
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Jamie Lynn Spears, 32, plays Noreen Fitzgibbons, a nurse with whom Dr. Townsend had an affair, leading to her unexpectedly becoming pregnant with their child.
Spears discussed her return to acting after taking time off to raise her children — she touched on the parallels between her and her character.
“I remember being 16 years old, being pregnant in a small town. And then on top of it, the whole world was watching,” she toldThe Hollywood Reporter.“Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t view myself as a victim. And with Noreen, it was important to not play the victim either. She put herself in a compromising situation. She’s a young girl who made some adult decisions, and she’s trying to take some responsibility for that.”
Spears rose to fame on the Disney Channel playing Zoey Brooks onZoey 101(2005-2008). Before her breakout role, she starred in Nickelodeon’sAll That(2002) withKenan ThompsonandKel Mitchell.
In January 2023, Spears and herZoey 101costars announced that they werereuniting for an upcoming Paramount+ film,Zoey 102,set to premiere on July 27.Thefirst trailerwas released that June and showed several of the original cast members reprising their roles.
Spears is married to businessmanJamie Watson. She has two daughters:Maddie, whom she shares with her ex Casey Aldridge, andIvey, whom she welcomed with Watson.
Chris Medlin as Isaac Downey
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Chris Medlin, 33, plays Isaac Downey, the young newcomer to Serenity who works at Sullivan’s Restaurant. He happens upon the small town in search of his birth parents.
“I think Isaac’s story is unfortunately very common and a relatable story. Not the specifics of it but there are so many variations of his story as a lot of people come from non-traditional homes and families,” Medlin toldThe Nerd Daily.
A multi-hyphenate in the entertainment industry, Medlin has also hit the stage dancing alongside some of the biggest names in the business, includingMissy Elliott,Pharrell WilliamsandDaft Punk.
Brandon Quinn as Ronnie Sullivan
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Brandon Quinn, 45, plays the role of Ronnie Sullivan, Dana Sue’s ex-husband and Annie’s father.
Some of his most notable film credits include starring inGreenland(2020) alongsideGerard ButlerandOn a Wing and a Prayer(2023) withDennis QuaidandHeather Graham.
Brandon and his wife, Rachel Catudal, have three children.
Dion Johnstone as Erik WhitleyCourtesy of Netflix ; Dion Johnstone InstagramDion Johnstone, 47, portrays Erik Whitley, the sous chef at Sullivan’s Restaurant and Helen’s boyfriend.“Each scene that they got together, it just felt more and more like this could be a fit. This feels really good,” he toldGlamourin 2022 about Erik and Helen’s relationship. “I like who I am with her. By the time he starts hearing about Ryan, that’s when he starts realizing, ‘I’ve got to do something. I have something here.’ ”The Canadian actor is best known for his roles inThe Core(2003),The Tempest(2010),Ties That Bind(2015) andStar Falls(2018).He is married to actress and creative life coach Lisa Berry, and the pair share a son.
Dion Johnstone as Erik Whitley
Courtesy of Netflix ; Dion Johnstone Instagram
Dion Johnstone, 47, portrays Erik Whitley, the sous chef at Sullivan’s Restaurant and Helen’s boyfriend.
“Each scene that they got together, it just felt more and more like this could be a fit. This feels really good,” he toldGlamourin 2022 about Erik and Helen’s relationship. “I like who I am with her. By the time he starts hearing about Ryan, that’s when he starts realizing, ‘I’ve got to do something. I have something here.’ ”
The Canadian actor is best known for his roles inThe Core(2003),The Tempest(2010),Ties That Bind(2015) andStar Falls(2018).
He is married to actress and creative life coach Lisa Berry, and the pair share a son.
source: people.com
